The Horseman
by Takarifan101
Summary: As Halloween draws near several supernatural incidents occur, prompting Ethan, Benny and Sarah to investigate the city's unnatural history and bizarre urban legends. What they discover brings forth a threat the likes of which they never imagined, and with it a truth that was never meant to be seen. The question now is: who is the Headless Horseman, and what is their real purpose?
1. The Countdown to October

A/N: Here it is my contribution for Halloween. I know I haven't worked on 'Benny's Boy', but most of my time went into helping a co-writer with her story, and getting this bad boy done before October. We're looking at about six to seven chapters depending on how I edit it, and yes this story is for the most part done and has a few crazy twists and turns! Anyway let's get this Halloween story rolling.

I don't know anything from My Babysitter's a Vampire or 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow', and they all belong to their respective owners.

As always feedback is welcome! Enjoy!

* * *

The Horseman

By Takarifan101

Chapter One: The Countdown to October

"_At this rate we're gonna be late for class_," thought Ethan to himself as he leaned against the coffee shop, and crossed his arms in a futile attempt to keep warm. He watched as several auburn leaves floated about in the frigid morning breeze and sighed. Only in Whitechapel could the warm summer weather vanish overnight leaving nothing but a cold chill and the faintest but distinct hints of autumn in its wake. Shorter days, cooler evenings, and that feeling of togetherness, he smiled just thinking about it. A cold gust assaulted his already numb body and in annoyance he checked his watch.

"_How long does it take to buy two cups of coffee?_" thought Ethan as debated going into the Whitechapel Brew after his friend. Before he could put any more thought into the matter he heard several screams. Expecting the worst he shouldered the front door open while his hand flew to the dagger hidden in the depths of his jacket.

The first thing that caught his attention the strange waxy substance that coated the entirety of the store. The second was Benny who stood in the middle of it all looking rather pale with his eyes cast upwards at the ceiling. Ethan turned to look up and found the reason behind the screams. Crawling across the webs were dozens of large purple and orange spiders, each one making a loud hissing noise. One by one they began to fall on the customers, and in the mad scramble for the door Ethan managed to get his friend out into the cool morning air. When he was sure they spider free and alone he asked:

"What happened?"

"I don't know," said Benny as he shakily handed Ethan a cup of coffee. "I was paying for our drinks and the next think you know those cheesy fake cobwebs and giant spiders were real and crawling over everything."

"Those definitely weren't decorations," said Ethan as he took a sip from his cup. He smiled, the warmth was more than welcome. "They were real."

"They weren't before though."

"Did you accidentally use magic or something? You know how you get when your excited and-"

"Seriously E?" asked Benny in disbelief as he gave him a look. "You think I had a magical accident? It's been two years since I became a Spellmaster, and I've learned more in these past two years than Harry Potter did in his entire wizarding career."

"Sorry," mumbled Ethan sheepishly. "I'm just covering the basics before we start searching for someone or something that's bringing Halloween decorations to life."

"I bet it has to do with the Lucifractor, ever since it exploded last year crazy things have been happening. It's like the blast loosened the magic in the city."

"Loosened the magic in the city?"

"Yeah, I don't think you can feel it though, because you're not a Spellmaster. The best way to describe it is like standing on a spinning chair, it's not stable. My Grandma says the explosion jump-started all the dark magic in Whitechapel and when you think about everything that's happened it makes sense."

Ethan thought about it for a moment and frowned. Since Stern's demise almost a year ago the supernatural forces in Whitechapel had certainly been busy to say the least. Between the chupacabra, Baba Yaga, the dream wraith, Stephanie's attempted return, the Ahools, the Faceless Men, and the dark spirits from the summer festival it was hard to deny the facts in front of them.

"But why would anyone want to turn Halloween decorations real? It doesn't make any sense."

"Does anything in this city ever make sense?" asked Benny as they continued their walk to school. Ethan quicken his pace then looked down at his watch and slowed. They were already late, what was the sense in rushing now? With a sigh he took another sip from his coffee and looked up at the brunette.

"Is there pumpkin spice in here?"

"Yup," said Benny with a smile. "Everything tastes better with pumpkin spice."

* * *

"I love fall," sang Erica happily as she waved about her coffee cup with a smile. "Everything taste like pumpkin, and what doesn't taste good with just a hint of pumpkin in it?"

"Coffee," answered Sarah as she took a sniff of her mug before tossing in into the nearest trashcan. "I can't believe you got coffee. We're here to take notes on the new exhibit, not to drink the equivalent of liquid pumpkin, which by the way is totally gross."

"It's been documented that it helps clear a vampire's senses and makes them more in tune their own nature. Not that you would know anything that Little Miss Denial."

"I'm not in denial."

"Really, then tell me when was the last time you had blood? And not that stuff Benny's Grandma makes, I'm taking actual fresh blood." When she didn't respond Erica smiled and said: "Thought so."

Sarah rolled her eyes and continued their walk through the hallway labeled: 'History of Whitechapel'. They passed by old clothing, muskets, a diorama of the city in its early days, sabers and more until they finally reached the newest addition. In the corner almost invisible to the naked eye was a sign hanging from the ceiling welcoming guests to 'The Real Sleepy Hollow'.

"Here we are," said Sarah as she looked up from her small map and peered around the secluded room. "Ok we need to write down at least one interesting fact that we learned and apply it to-"

"Did you forget who it was that had a 4.0 GPA before she was bitten? Besides this is just an extra credit assignment, who cares if we take it seriously or not?"

"Yeah well I need to pass this class if I want to get the credits to transfer out of Whitechapel Community College."

Erica approached the nearest exhibit, an old document, and whispered: "I didn't know Whitechapel was home to the 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow', I always thought it was just a story."

"All good stories come from somewhere," said Sarah as she read the small set of information in front of her. "According to this Washington Irving, author of 'Sleepy Hollow', lived briefly in Whitechapel at some point before writing it. I bet he saw something, after all this place is a supernatural hotspot."

"Can we go?" groaned Erica as she passed by a suit of black armor with its helmet noticeably missing. "This stuff isn't even that interesting, it's just boring old papers and clothes."

"Hang on," said Sarah in an annoyed tone as she continued to examine the various items. "Just because you don't care about what college your going to doesn't mean I don't."

She walked the length of the small room and stopped when she came across a painting of a young woman bound by rope being led to a tall wooden post. She traced a finger over the protective glass and stopped when she came across the title: 'The Burning of Whitechapel's Grey Witch.' She read the description under it:

_Responsible for the murder of two prominent Whitechapel citizens, and accused of witchcraft, young Katrina Van Tassel was sentenced to burn at the stake. Her final resting place remains a mystery, though local legend claims that a young woman, fitting Katrina's description, wanders through the cemeteries at night begging forgiveness from those she wronged. _

"The Grey Witch," whispered Erica as she approached the painting with a frown. "Whitechapel's very own boogeyman."

* * *

Ethan picked up the box of musty Halloween decorations and did his best not to cough as he lugged it up the stairs from the school's basement. Normally he'd be annoyed that both he and Benny were being forced to help move the decorations, but considering the morning's events his mind had long since wandered. What purpose would making the cobwebs and spiders in the coffee shop, if any, serve? He dropped the box in front of the main office and coughed when dust exploded outwards. Leave it to the school faulty to turn a simple detention into manual labor.

He made his way once again into the poorly lit basement, and frowned when he caught sight of Benny sitting in the corner reading a small black journal. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. Benny held up a finger, closed the book dramatically, and gave a sharp whistle.

"Wow," he tossed it into one of the various boxes and took a deep drink from his blue thermos. "That was a bit intense for a Halloween story. Burning witches, murders, black armor, psh what happened to simple things like goblins, ghosts and black cats?"

"First of all we're supposed to be working," said Ethan as he gave his friend a annoyed but slightly entertained look. "And second do you mind helping? After all you're the reason we're here."

Benny grinned. "If I remember correctly, and trust me I do, the reason we're here is actually because of you."

"M-me?" stammered Ethan in disbelief as he dropped the box of Halloween decorations he had picked up. "I'm not the one who insisted he needed a Pumpkin Spice Latte on the way to school today."

"Yeah but I'm not the only one who got one. Besides tomorrow is the first day of October and they always hike the price up in October. And thanks to my little side trip we managed to stumble across another one of the city's mysteries or monsters or both! We only ended up here because you offered to help Mr. G with the decorations!"

"Because he was going to give us detention for being forty-five minutes late!"

"Mr. G never gives detention!" said Benny with a laugh. "We'd be the second set of students to get in trouble from him, the first obviously being Sarah and Erica. But all this nonsense aside it's time for some real talk: have you thought about Halloween costumes yet?"

"Not really," answered Ethan as he picked up the box once again. "I was going to talk to Sarah about doing a-"

"Dude Sarah's in college now. She's totally out of your league, its time to move on."

"It's just Whitechapel Community College, and we still get to see her and Erica everyday for lunch."

Benny shook his head and began to rummage through another box. Dust rose into the air and he kicked it aside dismissively.

"We probably won't even have time to do anything this year for Halloween this year," said Ethan sadly as he started up the stairs.

"Whoa whoa, whoa, whoa," said Benny as he grabbed his friend by the arm. "What do you mean we won't have time for anything? We always have time for Halloween."

"You said it yourself earlier, ever since the Lucifractor exploded, the supernatural side of Whitechapel's been insane. There's no telling what's gonna to happen, in fact I'm willing to bet we'll see more things happening around Halloween than any other time."

Benny frowned and looked around at all the boxes. He muttered something under his breath and snapped his fingers. In a flash they were gone.

"You're welcome," said Benny as he motioned for his friend to follow him up the steps.

"What did you do?" asked Ethan uncertainly as he looked around.

"I teleported everything upstairs, told you I could control my magic."

Ethan gave him a weary look but said nothing. Once they were free of the basement's cold dark interior they heard an excited shout come from Mr. G's room. Together they peered into his classroom and found their teacher buried underneath mountain of Halloween decorations. He looked up at them with a confused look, and with a smile asked:

"Did you two happen to see the students who dumped all these decorations onto me?"

"N-no sir," said Benny as he absently made a grab for Ethan's arm and pulled him away from the door. "But it looks like they got all the decorations up so you don't need our help! See you tomorrow bye!"

On the way home Ethan began to laugh, causing his friend to turn a bright red color. The Spellmaster pouted and mumbled: "Don't say anything."

Despite his friend's warning, and threatening stare Ethan simply grinned and responded: "Anything."

* * *

"Come here you delicious little possum," whispered Rory as he stared down his potential from the top of the old mausoleum. With his tongue sticking out and butt up in he air he prepared himself to pounce on dinner only to lose focus when he caught sight of Sarah standing at the far end of the cemetery. With the thoughts of food all but forgotten the young blonde jumped down and ran over to greet her. "What's up Sarah?"

"Huh?" She gave him a confused look then asked: "What are you doing here?"

"The old graveyard is the best hunting spot in the entire city," said Rory as he spun around with his arms wide open. "I'm always here, but why are you here? Did you finally decide to join my all natural animal diet?"

"Sorry but no. Erica told me about the Grey Witch and in order to get a passing grade on my paper I decided to test out the urban legend myself. The only problem is I don't really know what to do."

"The pebble thing?" She nodded. "How do you not know about it?" Before Sarah could response he snapped his fingers. "Oh that's right you moved to Whitechapel two years ago, right before we met huh? Ok what you want to do is cut your hand and place a bit of your blood on a black pebble, then toss it into the planter in the middle of the cemetery."

"Why?" asked Sarah as she picked up one of the various black pebbles lying around. "What's the point of it?"

"According to the legend they used to burn people in that planter and their spirits never got the rest they deserved. By tossing in a blood marked pebble its supposed to help the spirits track down their family line and finally find peace. Or something like that, I'm not really sure."

"I have a bad feeling about this," whispered brunette as she looked at the small rock and turned it over in her hand. "Maybe I shouldn't do this, you never know what might happen in this city."

"Ethan, Benny and I did it," offered Rory. "It was right before we met you. Of course it took forever to get Ethan to actually cut himself, you know how he gets around blood. But the important this is the grade of your paper is at stake!"

"Ethan did it?" He nodded and she brought her thumb to her mouth. Her fangs appeared and she bit down. A small droplet of black blood appeared and she ran it over the small dark pebble. Taking in a sharp breath she tossed it into the planter. When nothing happened she turned to Rory who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Same thing happened for Ethan, Benny and me."

"Well that's that," said Sarah as she typed the results into her phone. She took a few pictures of the graveyard and gave him a smile. "I better get home, and put the finishing touches on my essay. Thanks for the help."

"Here I'll go with you," offered the blonde as he followed after her. "My mom always told me I should never let a lady wander around at night. Besides it's almost midnight I need to get home too. "

She nodded and together the two of them took to the sky unaware of the strange energy in the air.

* * *

The black pebbles strewn across the graveyard began to began to vibrate as they moved towards the large circular planter. As they neared it a grey pillar of smoke began to rise giving an unnatural heat to the surrounding area. The pebbles rose slowly into air before violently flying into the smoke filling the planter with a thick dark liquid. The smoke took on a human form and waved an arm over the strange substance. From the depths of the melted pebbles a large black stallion emerged its legs crashing against the ground with an explosive force. The creatures orange eyes examined the graveyard before honing in on the smoke, and when it caught sight of the figure it lowered its head awaiting orders.

_"Find the Horseman, free him from his shackles, and then bring me the head of any living Crane."_

The horse reared up at the command and gave a hellish cry before charging through the cemetery. In its wake it left nothing but destruction, and the thundering sound of its hooves as it rode off into the night.

* * *

Ethan turned restlessly in bed and frowned when he realized how nervous he really was. He turned to his alarm clock, only five minutes left till midnight. Giving up on sleep he tossed off the covers and wandered over to the window. In the glow of the full moon he could see the normally green trees tinged with orange and felt his nerves subside. There was something so calming about the changing seasons. He absently picked up his phone and went thought the texts with his friends. In them he had relayed the day's events to Sarah and Erica, who in return, offered the same questions he had asked: 'Why?'. He looked at their responses again, Sarah had offered some interesting insight into the problem:

_Why would someone/thing bring decorations to life? Better yet is there even a way they could turn them real? _**_-S_**

Erica not so much...

_Are you sure Benny didn't have a magical accident?_**_ -E_**

He turned off the phone, and peered once again at the city beyond his window. Standing at the far end of the street in a rapidly appearing black fog was a large charcoal colored horse with dark orange eyes. Ethan found himself unable to turn away from the creatures gaze, and as he stared into the unnatural color the world began to swim around him. Far away he heard the high pitch scream of a woman in pain.

_"You will suffer! You will all suffer a fate worse than death! A curse upon you all! Heed my warning Whitechapel will pay!"_

It was only when the fog closed in around the beast that eye contact was broken. Ethan stumbled backwards and collapsed to floor. The last thing he saw before passing out was the dark red numbers of his alarm clock- 12:00. October had just begun.

* * *

A/N: What do you think? Want to see more or should I scrap this and move on? Feedback is appreciated! See you next time!


	2. Urban Legends

A/N: I'm so sorry about the delay, I had computer problems, real life problems, work, and the list goes on. I promise I'll try to be faster with updates, and if you have any questions send me a PM! And yes this story will not conclude by Halloween, and again I am sorry for the slow updates.

I don't own the 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow' or any characters!

* * *

The Horseman

By Takarifan101

Chapter Two: Urban Legends

"So what exactly are you doing here?" asked Erica as she loosened her scarf and took a seat across from Sarah. She took a moment to enjoy the store's warmth and after some serious internal debate decided against getting another cup of coffee. A quick glance around the Whitechapel Brew confirmed that there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing of note was the lack of spider related decorations, but it appeared the coffee shop had compensated for that with the brand new if rather cheap looking paper jack-lanterns and ghosts. She turned back to Sarah, who still had her nose buried in some book and asked: "Are you investigating your nerd's text from last night?"

"First of all he's not my nerd," said Sarah as she finally looked up with a flushed expression. "And second I'm not here to investigate it's just the only coffee shop in town that has a working heater."

"Yeah well apparently that comes with the added charm of gigantic hissing spiders. What are you reading?"

"I'm trying to put together the legend of the Grey Witch. Yesterday you called her Whitechapel's Boogeyman and told me about the urban legend in the graveyard. Today I want to know why."

"Is this still for that stupid extra credit assignment?" asked Erica as she stared at her friend in disbelief. "Give it up Sarah, you've already put more than enough work into this paper to get a passing grade. Let's go do something fun for once."

"I don't have enough information though," said Sarah as she closed the book and slid her notes across the table. "Why do they call her Whitechapel's Grey Witch, how does it relate to the myth about the stones and the biggest question of all: what does all of this have to do with 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'? I searched all night online for any information, and I didn't find anything."

"That's because you won't find anything online," answered Erica as she stood up with a sigh and retightened the scarf around her neck. She motioned to the thin grey fog outside. "You more than anyone should know this city has its secrets, the Grey Witch and her history is one of them. But since you're so determined to figure it out I guess I can show you."

* * *

"What happened to you?" asked Benny, as he watched Ethan enter the school with dark circles under his eyes. He looked Ethan up and down. It was unusual for his friend to be anything less than put together, and here he was with his hair disheveled and clothes that were not only wrinkled but dirty. After another moment of examination he settled on the obvious and stated: "You look terrible."

"You look like you fell asleep on a rock," exclaimed Rory in a singsong voice. He snapped his fingers and with his trademark smile added: "Or a better yet a rock fell asleep on you. Did a rock fall asleep on you Ethan?"

Ethan sighed, and despite his lack of sleep he let out a laugh. Before he could answer either of them a group of hunched over students walked by talking in excited tones.

"Did you see it last night? The monster?"

"The Hell Horse? You'd have to be stupid, blind or deaf to miss it, that thing was huge."

"Not to mention the way the black fog just followed it around. Where do you think it came from?"

"Forget where it came from, did you hear that woman scream? I thought my mom was being tortured."

"So then it wasn't a dream," whispered Ethan as he looked down at the ground and then back up at his friends' curious glances. "Last night I had this dream, well I thought it was a dream, about a wild horse with bright orange eyes walking around Whitechapel. It looked right at me, I heard this woman scream about a curse and the next thing I knew it was morning."

"This is totally karma for making fun of my magic yesterday," said Benny with a small smile as he tugged on his satchel. He frowned when he caught sight of his friend's disapproving stare and with an awkward cough muttered: "Sorry…. Maybe it was a vision."

"It can't be a vision," said Rory suddenly. He crossed his arms and paced in front of them. "Other people have seen it, so it has to be something else... right?"

"He's right," said Ethan with yawn. "And it would be too much of a long shot to call it a wild horse, especially with those eyes, and that black fog."

"I wonder if it has anything to do with the decorations coming to life in the coffee shop," mumbled Benny. "I asked Grandma about it last night and she didn't know anything about animation spells, so I searched through my book and nothing came up."

"Really?" asked Ethan as rubbed his temple, he was missing something but what? He felt a headache coming on and decided to ignore his intuition. "Honestly I don't think the horse has to do with the coffee shop. There isn't a horse statue anywhere in Whitechapel, something else is happening."

"All these cool things happen to you two," mumbled Rory with a frown as he looked down disappointed. "The only cool thing that happened to me was the date I went on with Sarah yesterday."

Ethan's head shot up and before he could say anything Benny held up his hand and asked: "Are you sure it was a date, or did you just happen to run into her while she was out hunting? Because I've made that mistake before and when you make that mistake no one wins."

"Well… we did run into each other at the graveyard when she was trying to figure out the old urban legend."

"Old urban legend?" asked Ethan as he thought about it for a moment. "You mean the one with the pebbles and blood? Why would she do that?"

"For an essay about Whitechapel's Grey Witch."

"An essay about Katrina Van Tassel?"

"Excellent topic of discussion," said Mr. G from his position in front of the classroom door. He ushered the boys into the class with his usual kind smile. "But that's better saved for when class actually starts and I can show my impressive original 'Sleepy Hollow' manuscript."

"I see you decorated," stated Benny in a shaky voice as he examined the rubber rats, cheap cobwebs and plastic spiders that now covered the room. He paled. "It looks… nice."

"Yup, it's all thanks to you boys helping with the decorations last night, oh and before I forget," Mr. G reached into his pocket and produced two bracelets. He gave one to each of the boys, red and green for Ethan, and blue and yellow for Benny. "They're hand woven based off of a Native America design I saw at the museum a few months back. Normally I only give them to members of the student council as a thank you for all the help they've done, but seeing as you two helped me a lot I think I can make an exception. They're supposed to bring you good luck so take of them."

"No problem," whispered Ethan as he took his and headed for a seat in the center of the room and as far away from any decorations as possible. Benny sat next to him and slid his on. "You're actually gonna wear it?"

"I think it looks cool," whispered Benny defensively as he held up his arm to show off the small band. The combination of blue and yellow, though Ethan would never say it aloud, seemed like a perfect fit for his friend. "Besides we could use some luck with all these rubber rats around."

"Good point."

"So," said Mr. G with a smile as he clapped his hands together and leaned against the desk. He gave them all a quick glance and after a dramatic pause asked: "Who here knows about the 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow'?"

Hannah Price's hand shot up: "The story was based off of actual events that took place early in Whitechapel's founding. It's the story of how two citizens, Ichabod Crane and Abraham Von Brunt, strive for the affection of Katrina Van Tassel. According to local legend she murdered both of them with witchcraft and was then burned at the stake.

"Remember when commenting or passing on information you have to separate the fact from the fiction," he walked over to the board and began to write. "If you don't you end up with rumors that turn simple things into something much worse. Yes we know they story was based off actual events, and yes we know Katrina was found guilty of the murders but-"

"There's no such thing as witchcraft," spat out Della with an annoyed looked as she glared at Hannah. "You'd have to be either stupid or an idiot to believe that."

"Then how do you explain the decorations in the Whitechapel Brew coming to life yesterday?"

"That's just a rumor."

"I saw them!"

"Like you'd ever ditch Miss Class President."

"Cat fight," whispered Benny excitedly with a smile as Della and Hannah continued to argue with one another. "Today's going to be a good day."

"Ladies, ladies," said Mr. G as he took a step forward. "It's true Hannah was at the Whitechapel Brew yesterday, she had a meeting with some teachers for upcoming schools events and she offered to pick up coffee. But as I mentioned earlier it's better to separate what we saw from what we want to believe. Yes there was spider infestation yesterday in the shop, but no the decorations did not come to life, because as we all know that's physically impossible."

The two girls looked down. "If you don't examine the facts then we end up with rumors, like the newest one about this... um... what did you call it?"

"Hell Horse!" offered Rory.

"That's right…." M. G shook his head dismissively. "Enough talk of rumors, let's examine the real events of Sleep Hollow. Katrina was the only daughter of the wealthiest man in the city, and was said to have a family secret that could make the person who married her the most powerful person in Whitechapel. We have several documents attesting to that fact, and as it turns out and was later discovered, her father actually owned the deeds to a better part of the town. Two citizens at the time: Ichabod and Abraham, competed for her affections, often making an awful spectacle of things. Unable to take the pressure of her family heritage and the pining affection of her suitors she murdered both of them."

"Wait how does the Headless Horseman come into play in all this?" asked Ethan as looked down at his notes. "I thought it was villain, if what you're saying is true when how did it even become a part of this story?"

Mr. G smiled proudly. "Now that's million dollar question isn't it?"

* * *

Erica walked through the graveyard carefully avoiding the broken graves and over grown plants as she made her way to their destination. She watched as her breath floated in the air in front of her and shuddered when they walked past the large planter in the center. Without looking back at Sarah she relayed the tale that had haunted her over the years.

"According to legend Katrina Van Tassel had two lovers, the first was the school master Ichabod Crane, and the second was the town's most prominent citizen Abraham Van Brunt. These two fought for her love at any chance they got, and one night at a Halloween celebration things finally reached a boiling point."

Erica stopped and motioned to the damaged grave in front of her. Sarah gave an uneasy look and bent down to read the inscription.

**Here lies Ichabod S. Crane**

"Unable to take the fighting between the two, she murdered them both in cold blood. She killed Abraham first and when Ichabod ran away she used her magic to bring the headless body of her ex-lover to life with one goal, to hunt down Crane. This single act of violence and magic was said to be too much for Katrina, and her bright orange hair turned grey. When it was discovered what she had done the town sentenced her to burn at the stake for witchcraft, and the rest is history."

Sarah looked up from the grave with a confused look. "I thought you said you didn't know 'Sleepy Hollow' was based off of actual events."

"I made the connection yesterday, and with all the strange things that happen in this city it's hard to remember what's actually fact and fiction."

"Fair enough," she examined the gravestone and found herself focusing on the strange symbol underneath the name. "Ichabod Crane is buried right here where we're standing..."

"Well if the grave is any indication then yes Sarah, this is where he's buried."

"Why isn't this landmark or something? There must thousands of people who'd love to see something like this."

"Exactly," said Erica with a distant look in her eyes. "Why would Whitechapel want to publicize its first murder? The city, and more importantly the Council hates the legend and would rather have it die here, then getting out. Besides the last thing we need is a bunch of internet weirdo's coming into Whitechapel and poking their noses around."

"How do you know all this?"

"A combination of living here for my entire life, and snooping around the Council's records." She noticed the way her friend raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Ever since the glamouring incident with Anastasia I've been looking for something to hold against her. Besides this is one of those things everyone knows but doesn't talk about. Kind of like Ethan's crush on you."

"Ethan doesn't have a crush on me," whispered Sarah as she turned back to the stone. She peered once again at the strange symbol. "I've seen that somewhere, I know it."

"Of course you have," whispered Erica in annoyance. "After all this CSI Sarah: Cold Case Edition."

* * *

Benny yawned, and leaned back in his computer chair triumphantly before crashing to the ground when he caught sight of the time. It was two thirty am Friday morning, which meant he had just spent the better part of six hours playing League of Myths against the mysterious player RulerVE. He quickly logged off and doing his best to be quiet as possible made his way to the kitchen. It was amazing how the world would cease to exist around him when he was locked in virtual combat with his archrival, especially once as dangerous and challenging as RulerVE.

His stomach let out a growl, and he found himself pouting. How could he have missed out on dinner, and more importantly how could his Grandma not remind of it? Feeling somewhat betrayed he opened the fridge and rummaged through the contents.

"She didn't even leave me any leftovers," whimpered Benny as he shut the door and looked miserably across the counter. There had to be something to eat, right? He caught movement outside the window and stopped. Through the thin curtains he watched as the small wisps of fog moved to and fro in the light evening breeze and wondered if he had actually seen something. Slowly he made his way over to the glass pane and mentally reviewed his list of battle spells. He held his breath and moved to the curtain to the side.

As he did a large orange eye emerged from the depths of grey. Benny stumbled backwards and watched as the pupil examined the kitchen before it suddenly honing in on him. He tried to turn away and found his body would not move under the sharp examination of the strange eye. The world went out of focus and a sharp pain shot through his head and with it the high pitch scream of a woman in agony.

"_You will suffer! You will all suffer a fate worse than death! A curse upon you all! Heed my warning Whitechapel will pay!"_

He clutched his head, trying to block out the voice, the pain and the unnatural glow in the window. The grey fog went black, and Benny collapsed to the floor in an unconscious slump.

* * *

"You saw the Hell Horse last night didn't you?" asked Ethan with a frown. A combination of years of friendship, the unhappy look in Benny's eyes, and his un-styled hair, was more than enough for him to make the simple deduction. "What happened?"

Benny groaned, laid his head on the table and miserably whispered: "It peered in through my kitchen window, there was a scream, I passed out and when I woke up I was in bed."

"That's what happened to me, and the other students too…. It's like it looks inside your mind right?"

Benny sat up and gave him a weird look. "Yeah, I wasn't sure how to explain it but I felt like it reached into my head and started shuffling things around."

Ethan frowned. Another day, and another fresh batch of Hell Horse sightings. Was the horse going around investigating people or was it doing something else? There had to be some logical reason for it… right? Before he could voice any of these concerns his phone began to vibrate.

_Have you seen this symbol? -_** S**

A small picture of a strange oval appeared and Ethan frowned. There was something oddly familiar about the shape, but at the moment he couldn't place it. He showed Benny the text and was rewarded with a head shake. His phone buzzed again.

_You need to come to the museum as soon as you can, there's something here you need to see!_ –**S**

After school Ethan found himself keeping pace with both Benny and Rory as they headed to the Whitechapel Museum. From the corner of his eye he watched as the Spellmaster fidgeted with the beanie on his head.

"What are you doing?" asked Ethan unable to keep his curiosity in check. "You're starting to make me nervous."

"I woke up late this morning, and I didn't have a chance to condition my hair, so it's all itchy."

"I know the feeling," he held up his wrist and showed off the red marking the band had left behind. "I think I'm allergic to whatever material Mr. G used for his bracelet."

"This is nothing like that, do you have any idea how hard is to keep my hair at the right level of awesome?"

"Uh hello!" said Rory as he ran a hand through his own blonde hair. "Have you seen my luscious blonde hair?

"Luscious? You look like your wearing a wig!"

"At least I don't overdose mine with product!"

Ethan frowned and walked ahead; this was one argument he wasn't getting involved in. After a moment the museum came into view and Ethan found himself smiling, at the sight of Erica and Sarah waiting for them at the entrance. The girls raised their eyebrows when they heard Benny and Rory's argument.

"Ladies," said Erica as she approached them with a wicked smile. "If it makes you feel better your both ugly and have terrible hair."

"So what's up?" asked Ethan as he followed Sarah through the front door. Warm air spread across his bod and he thankfully pulled off his jacket. "Something supernatural I'm guessing."

"Follow me," said Sarah as she wandered through the maze that made up the first floor of the museum. She led them into the small exhibit and motioned to the area with the caution tape blocked off. Small pieces of glass glistened in the room's dim lighting. "See the destroyed exhibit? There was a suit of armor in there yesterday."

"No way," whispered Ethan and Benny in unison.

"I don't get it," said Rory as he looked from the case back to the girls. "Why don't I get it?"

"Are you stupid?" asked Erica as she motioned to the ground. "Look!"

"I am but I'm not seeing anything!"

"The glass," whispered Ethan. He looked around, and once he was sure they were alone he crossed the caution tape. He bent down for a better look and nodded. "If someone stole the armor then it would've been shattered on the ground here inside the display. Instead the glass is spread out here where we're standing."

"Then that means…."

"The armor wasn't stolen," said Ethan as he stood up with a worried look. "It… left."

"Hey Sarah," said Benny from the other side of the room. He pointed at the pages hanging in front of him. "Isn't this that symbol you sent Ethan?"

Sarah approached the display and found herself at a loss for words. On the bottom of the page was the same marking as the one on the grave.

"This is a page from Ichabod Crane's missing journal," said Sarah as she read the small plaque. "But what does it mean?"

"I know where I've seen this!" said Ethan suddenly as he gave them an excited look. "Benny it was on that journal you were reading the other day."

"Of course Ethan would have the answers to Sarah's mystery," said Erica with a sigh. "Because for some reason everyone knows everything that the other person is looking for!"

"You mean the story book about the witch burning?"

"You guys had Ichabod Crane's journal?" asked Sarah suddenly as she turned to him. "Where is it?"

"Wait…" said Ethan as he looked at Sarah. "It can't be Crane's Journal."

"Why not?"

"Because it was talking about a witch burning. Crane would've been dead by the time Katrina was burned at the stake. It might not be his journal but I bet it belongs to someone who was alive at the time"

"So then where is it?"

"That's a good question," said Benny with a frown as he rubbed his chin. "I tossed it into one of the boxes of Halloween decorations yesterday."

"You tossed a historical artifact into a box?"

"And then I magic'd them all upstairs… which means the journal would've ended up in Mr. G's classroom."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get it!"

"Wait Sarah," said Erica suddenly. "It's getting late and Mr. G always went home early on Fridays. Besides if there is a headless armor walking around then we should wait until tomorrow to get it. We have a better chance of sneaking in to school during the day than at night anyways."

"Wow Erica's being sensible," said Benny with a smirk. "Never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Shut up."

"Then it's settled," said Ethan as he looked at his friends with a smile. "Tomorrow we'll sneak into school and try find the journal. Do you know what this means Sarah? We could be on the verge of a huge historical discovery!"

"I know isn't it exciting?" asked Sarah with a smile as she followed him out. "Imagine what we could learn from it."

Erica watched as Ethan and Sarah walked away talking excitedly, and turned to Benny with a sigh. "Come on we've got work to do."

"Work?" asked Benny as he scratched as his beanie. "What do you mean work?"

"Someone's brining those decorations to life, and those two are so excited about their so called historical discovery, that they missed one of the most important things."

"What's that?"

"The headless suit of armor in the 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow' Exhibit, just left." Both boys gave her a curios look before they paled and touched their necks. "Exactly."

* * *

_"Find the Horseman."_

The armor approached the large grey planter and stopped. From its neck a large plume of black fog steadily rose into the air concealing the figure within. The horse emerged from the center and thundered across the ground with a loud neigh before coming to a stop in front of the armor.

_"Free him from his shackles." _

It easily mounted the stallion and in one fluid motion unsheathed its black sword. The horse gave a cry and reared up as rider held the blade up high. The figure swung it once and watched as the grave in front of it exploded.

_"And then bring me the head of any living Crane."_

The Horseman stormed towards Whitechapel with both the onyx blade and dark armor shining unnatural the black fog.


End file.
